Genesis 6:17 kjv
And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
Genesis 6:17 nkjv
And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.
Genesis 6:17 niv
I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.
Genesis 6:17 esv
For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
Genesis 6:17 nlt
"Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die.
Genesis 6 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 2:7 | The LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life... | Origin of "breath of life" taken away by judgment. |
| Gen 6:5 | The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth... | Reason for God's decision to destroy. |
| Gen 6:11-12 | Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence... | Connects "destroy" with previous corruption of earth. |
| Gen 7:4 | For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights... | God's detailed plan to bring the flood. |
| Gen 7:21-23 | All flesh died that moved on the earth... and every living thing on the face of the ground was destroyed. | Fulfillment of the destruction declared in Gen 6:17. |
| Gen 9:11 | I establish My covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood... | God's promise after the flood not to repeat such destruction. |
| Gen 9:15 | I will remember My covenant... never again shall the waters become a flood to destroy all flesh. | Reiteration of the flood's scope and the covenant. |
| Psa 29:10 | The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as King forever. | God's sovereignty and control over the deluge. |
| Job 22:15-17 | Will you keep to the old way that wicked men have trod...? They were snatched away by a flood... | Wisdom literature's reflection on flood judgment. |
| Isa 54:9 | For this is like the days of Noah to Me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth... | Recalls Noah's flood as a divine oath's reference point. |
| Jer 4:26-28 | ...when every city is laid waste... I look on the earth, and behold, it was waste and void; and to the heavens... | Prophetic judgment echoing the pre-creation/flood chaos. |
| Rom 1:18 | For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men... | God's righteous judgment against sin, similar to flood. |
| Heb 11:7 | By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark... | Noah's faith-response to God's warning in Gen 6:17. |
| 1 Pet 3:20-21 | ...who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared... | The flood as an example of judgment and salvation by water (baptism). |
| 2 Pet 2:5 | ...if He did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others... | God's past judgment (the flood) as a warning and basis for future judgment. |
| 2 Pet 3:5-7 | For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed... and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. | Comparison of judgment by water (past) and by fire (future). |
| Jude 1:14-15 | It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with tens of thousands of His holy ones..." | Connects to the comprehensive judgment and God's intervention. |
| Matt 24:37-39 | For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood... | Jesus uses Noah's flood as a type for His second coming and sudden judgment. |
| Luke 17:26-27 | Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking... | Echoes Matthew's parallel between Noah's flood and the unexpected day of judgment. |
| Rev 21:1 | Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away... | God's ultimate plan for a new creation after final judgment. |
| Zeph 1:2-3 | "I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. | Prophetic echo of universal destruction (final judgment). |
| Gen 1:6-10 | ...let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters... | Flood as a 'de-creation' reversal of the separating of waters at creation. |
Genesis 6 verses
Genesis 6 17 Meaning
Genesis 6:17 is a solemn divine declaration from God to Noah concerning the imminent, catastrophic judgment upon all living beings on earth due to pervasive wickedness and violence. God announces His direct and personal act of bringing a universal deluge (the "flood of waters") to obliterate all land-dwelling creatures, including humanity, that possess the breath of life. This verse underscores the comprehensive nature of the coming destruction, signifying God's resolute decision to reset creation from its deeply corrupted state.Genesis 6 17 Context
Genesis chapter 6 sets the stage for the biblical flood narrative, commencing with a poignant description of humanity's descent into widespread depravity and violence, indicated by God observing that "every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen 6:5). The earth had become "corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence" (Gen 6:11). This profound wickedness led to God's sorrow over creating humanity and His ultimate decision to blot out man from the face of the earth (Gen 6:6-7). Amidst this pronouncement of judgment, Noah "found favor in the eyes of the LORD" because he "was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God" (Gen 6:8-9). God then specifically reveals to Noah His plan to destroy all life through a deluge (Gen 6:13-17) and instructs him to build an ark for the salvation of himself, his family, and representative pairs of every kind of animal (Gen 6:18-21). Verse 17, therefore, is God's direct and formal communication to Noah of the impending, comprehensive judgment that will be executed by water, revealing both His holy wrath against sin and His sovereign control over creation. It differentiates the divine act of judgment from contemporary Ancient Near Eastern flood myths that often depicted floods as arbitrary or results of squabbles among gods, emphasizing instead the moral and just reason for Yahweh's decisive intervention.Genesis 6 17 Word analysis
And behold, I, even I:
- And: A simple conjunction, but here introduces a significant divine pronouncement.
- behold (הִנֵּה - hinneh): An emphatic interjection drawing immediate attention to what follows. It signals a divine oracle or a momentous event, emphasizing the certainty and immediacy of God's declaration. It creates a sense of solemn revelation.
- I, even I (אֲנִי הִנְנִי - ani hinni): This is a highly emphatic Hebrew construction, stressing the first-person singular pronoun "I" (אֲנִי - ani), further intensified by the combination with hinni (behold I). It underscores God's personal agency, direct involvement, and ultimate authority in initiating this unparalleled act. It is not an arbitrary event or secondary cause, but a deliberate act by the Sovereign Lord. It also highlights the divine judgment is directly from God.
am bringing a flood of waters:
- am bringing (מֵבִיא - mevi): The present participle suggests an action already determined and in process from God's perspective, conveying divine certainty and inevitability.
- a flood (מַבּוּל - mabbul): This specific Hebrew term is used almost exclusively in the Old Testament to refer to the Noahic deluge. It's not a generic word for flood; it signifies this unique, global catastrophe decreed by God. It implies an overwhelming, all-encompassing inundation of divine origin and purpose.
- of waters (מַיִם - mayim): Simple term for water, but when combined with mabbul, it highlights the instrument of destruction: an abundance of water so great it forms a unique, universal flood.
upon the earth:
- upon the earth (עַל־הָאָרֶץ - 'al-ha'aretz): Specifies the geographical scope. The definite article "the" and the direct preposition "upon" confirm its universality; the judgment is not localized but global, affecting the entire landmass, corresponding to the global wickedness described previously.
to destroy all flesh:
- to destroy (לְשַׁחֵת - l'shakhet): This infinitive often carries the connotation of corruption, ruin, or perversion, linking back to Gen 6:11-12 where the earth was "corrupt" (shakhat - the root verb). God is bringing about an undoing of that corrupted creation, a righteous reversal of what has become morally ruined. It implies a thorough and absolute eradication.
- all flesh (כָּל־בָּשָׂר - kol-basar): A comprehensive term denoting all living creatures, including humans and land-dwelling animals (mammals, birds, reptiles). This further emphasizes the universal scope of the destruction. It is distinct from plant life, which is not stated as being destroyed.
in which is the breath of life:
- in which is (אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ - asher-bo): A relative clause specifying the scope of "all flesh."
- the breath of life (רוּחַ חַיִּים - ruakh khayyim): This phrase explicitly connects back to Gen 2:7, where God breathed into Adam's nostrils "the breath of life," making him a living being. Its re-appearance here highlights that God is revoking the life He Himself had imparted, indicating the gravity of the corruption and God's righteous claim over life itself. This specifically excludes plant life which does not possess this 'breath of life'.
from under heaven:
- from under heaven (מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם - mittakhat ha-shamayim): This further emphasizes the comprehensive and universal extent of the judgment. It refers to everything that lives below the celestial expanse, reinforcing that no part of the earth, or the life on it, is excluded from this divine decree.
Everything that is on the earth shall die:
- Everything that is on the earth (כֹּל אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ - kol asher ba'aretz): A strong repetition and restatement of "all flesh" and "from under heaven," driving home the absolute universality.
- shall die (יִגְוָע - yigva): A strong verb meaning to expire, perish, or die. This is a definitive and absolute pronouncement, leaving no room for doubt about the fate of the earth's living inhabitants.